Devil Rays Lose After Dugout Spat

Published 9:00 pm, Friday, August 2, 2002

Most managers push their players to perform. Tampa Bay's Hal McRae took a more literal approach.

McRae got angry at Tanyon Sturtze and shoved him in the dugout after the pitcher was pulled from Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox.

Sturtze had knocked over a water cooler that hit his manager in the leg and appeared to brush McRae while walking away from him. The Devil Rays went on to lose 8-5 in 12 innings, and the pitcher took the blame for the dugout spat.

"He had every right to shove me," Sturtze said. "I acted in a very unprofessional way. It's me being frustrated. It has nothing to do with Hal. It's totally my fault."

McRae was known as a hard-nosed player during his 19-year career with Cincinnati and Kansas City. He had a meltdown as manager of the Royals in the early '90s, throwing a phone in his office with TV cameras rolling.

Sturtze was lifted after five innings with a 5-3 lead and was sitting in the dugout when McRae came over to talk with him. Sturtze appeared to brush McRae as he got up to walk away, then knocked over a pair of water coolers.

The second water cooler bounced off the dugout floor and hit McRae in the leg.

McRae caught up to Sturtze and shoved him in the back as the pitcher was heading toward the clubhouse tunnel.

The two met in McRae's office after the game.

"It's a non-issue for me," McRae said. "We're OK with each other. Everything is OK."

Sturtze, who is 1-11 this season, allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings. He hit two batters with pitches in the fourth and got a no-decision.

"I thought he needed to come out," McRae said. "He ran a high pitch count (99). He was in jams. I was trying to win a baseball game."

The Devil Rays haven't done much of that all year. They own the worst record in the majors at 35-73, and perhaps the frustration is beginning to show.

"I think it's a combination," Sturtze said. "The way the season has been going for me."

Aaron Rowand hit an RBI double off Jesus Colome (2-6) to give the White Sox a 6-5 lead in the 12th.

Kelly Wunsch (2-1) got two outs for the win, and Antonio Osuna worked a scoreless inning for his eighth save.

Carlos Lee homered and had three RBIs for the White Sox. He tied it at 5 with a two-run homer in the eighth.

Red Sox 13, Rangers 0

Derek Lowe allowed two hits in seven innings to become the AL's second 15-game winner as Boston won easily at Texas.

Trot Nixon hit a three-run homer and a two-run shot, tying his career high with five RBIs. Brian Daubach also had a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who recovered from a 19-7 loss to Texas on Thursday night.

The Rangers, who scored 36 runs the previous two days, were held hitless until the fifth. Lowe (15-5) stretched his scoreless streak to 24 innings, lowering his league-leading ERA to 2.13. He is tied with Oakland's Barry Zito for the AL lead in wins.

Lowe was also among five Baltimore and Boston players suspended for their roles in a brawl last weekend. Lowe was docked five games, but all those suspended appealed.

Yankees 4, Angels 0

Andy Pettitte (6-4) pitched four-hit ball to come within two outs of a shutout, and New York got RBI singles from Rondell White and Bernie Williams at Edison Field.

The Angels dropped three games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West, while the Yankees remained four ahead of Boston in the AL East.

Mariners 3, Indians 1

Bret Boone homered for the third straight game to help Jamie Moyer (11-4) win his third consecutive decision.

Seattle (68-42) has won five straight to move a season-high 26 games over .500. Edgar Martinez also homered at Safeco Field in a rematch of last year's first-round playoff opponents. Kazuhiro Sasaki got his 29th save.

Cleveland's Danys Baez (8-8) pitched his first career complete game.

Tigers 3, Athletics 1

Mark Redman (7-9) outpitched Zito at the Coliseum _ where the Oakland ace hadn't lost a regular-season game in 14 months _ as Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak.

Carlos Pena homered against his former teammates, and the Tigers used two unearned runs to hand Zito (15-4) just his second loss in 18 starts.

Zito's Oakland-record streak of 16 straight victories at the Coliseum ended, but Miguel Tejada extended his hitting streak to 22 games _ longest in the AL this season.

Twins 2, Royals 1

Rick Reed (9-5) combined with four relievers on a four-hitter, and Jacque Jones hit a leadoff homer at the Metrodome.